Another person has appeared in court as a result of the investigation into an Auckland woman's disappearance.

However, the charge of car theft against 26-year-old Kristina Le Noel is not connected to Rae Portman's disappearance.

With each charge friends' hopes of seeing the 33-year-old again rise but are subsequently crushed as police confirm they are no closer to finding the woman who has now been missing for nearly three months.

Le Noel is accused of taking Portman's car without permission and selling it. She appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday and was remanded on bail until November.

Portman - known as "Bok" to her friends - was last seen on June 20 at the Mt Albert Motor Lodge and police have grave fears for her safety.

Police understand Portman bought a silver 1999 VW Passat registration CQH76 for $2000 between June 10 and 14 but never changed the ownership of the vehicle to her name.

On June 19 Portman took the car to a Hamilton workshop for a warrant of fitness but it failed because of worn tyres, worn seat belts, broken headlights and a worn steering wheel component.

At 3pm the next day, Portman drove the car to a friend in Auckland for him to repair it.

She was then taken back to her motel by an associate. The last reported sighting of her was at the motel at 8pm.

Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said police were keeping an open mind about anyone who could be involved with Portman's disappearance but confirmed the Auckland mechanic was not a suspect.

From the evening of June 20 onwards Portman had not made contact with any family members, close friends or used her bank accounts.

On July 3 - a day after Portman's mother, Rebecca Norton, reported her missing - Portman's friend who was fixing her car contacted another of her friends on Facebook to say he still had the car and wanted to return it to Portman's family, Gutry said.

Police allege the man then drove the car to the friend's Auckland home and on July 17, the friend changed the ownership of the car to her own name and traded it for $1000 at a dealership at Western Springs.

When police interviewed her on September 5, she said she didn't have Portman or her family's permission to pick up the car. Reparation was sought from the court for $2000 for the vehicle and is to be paid to Portman's mother.

It was the fourth arrest police have made in their search for Portman, a known drug user.